Spaced Repetition — The Only Vocabulary Method Backed by 140 Years of Research
The science of reviewing words exactly when you're about to forget them
You've experienced the forgetting curve. You study 20 new words, feel confident, then test yourself 3 days later and remember 4. This is not a personal failure — it's how memory works. Hermann Ebbinghaus documented it in 1885. The solution is spaced repetition: review words at increasing intervals, exactly when your brain is about to forget them. The result is 80–90% long-term retention with far less total study time than cramming.
The Science
The Forgetting Curve — memory decays exponentially, but each review resets and extends the retention period. Reviewing at increasing intervals creates long-term retention with minimum total reviews.
How Spaced Repetition Works — Step by Step
Encode the word
The first time you encounter a word, you form a weak memory trace. Without reinforcement, you'll forget it within hours (Ebbinghaus: 56% forgotten after 1 hour).
First review — 1 day later
Reviewing before you fully forget strengthens the memory trace. The interval before the next forgetting event increases — now the word will last several days.
Second review — 3–5 days later
Each successful recall doubles (approximately) the retention interval. The word now stays in memory for weeks.
Exponential growth
After 4–6 reviews at properly spaced intervals, the word moves to long-term memory — reviewable once a month and eventually once a year to maintain.
Failed recall
If you fail to recall a word, the interval resets. The word goes back to early reviews. This is not failure — it's the system working, identifying exactly which words need more reinforcement.
Why Spaced Repetition Fails for Most People
Spaced repetition fails when the intervals are wrong (too short = wasted reviews, too long = forgotten before review) or when card quality is poor (vague cards, wrong context, no audio). The algorithm is only as good as the flashcards it's working with.
How WordPlus Implements Spaced Repetition
WordPlus implements the Leitner Box system — a visual, intuitive form of spaced repetition. Words move between 5 jars (daily → every 2 days → weekly → bi-weekly → monthly). A correct recall moves a word forward; an incorrect recall resets it to Jar 1. Every word you translate becomes a card in the system automatically.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- ✗Adding too many cards at once — overwhelms daily review volume
- ✗Creating vague cards ('cat = animal') instead of contextual ones ('cats are nocturnal — cats (plural)')
- ✗Skipping review sessions — breaks the interval schedule and forces resets
- ✗Reviewing already-known words instead of focusing on weak ones
Spaced Repetition Is Ideal For
Frequently Asked Questions
Apply Spaced Repetition Starting Today
WordPlus puts Spaced Repetition into practice automatically. Translate a word — it enters the system. Review daily for 10 minutes. Watch your vocabulary compound.